


At Least I Can Say That I've Tried (to tell you I’m sorry)

by SobbingInACorner



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Author Is Sleep Deprived, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Needs A Hug, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Injury Recovery, Lotor (Voltron)-centric, Lotor needs a hug stat, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Space Uncle Coran (Voltron), This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Violence, zarkon is a bad dad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-04-07 16:01:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14084496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SobbingInACorner/pseuds/SobbingInACorner
Summary: Pidge stared in awe at the scene presented before her: a rocky wasteland, derelict and bare. Ripped apart by the sheer fury of the battling Galra. Father and son clashed, each determined to tear the other apart.





	1. To Go Over Everything

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so I’m a massive VLD fan, like MASSIVE VLD fan, season 5 dropped 3ish weeks ago and I think I’m still screaming
> 
> What better time to enter this fandom’s fic   
> community?
> 
> Anyway there is no way Lotor walked away from his fight with Zarkon just dandy, he got smashed into the rock so many darn times
> 
> Here’s my take on what might have happened directly after the scene – enjoy!

Lotor was tiring (not that he would admit it in front of his father). Zarkon rose from the crater, quintessence streaming down his armour; the same quintessence dripped from Lotor's sword. The emperor rose unsteadily, chuckling darkly - like he knew some kind of secret that Lotor didn’t. Rage flooded his mind, and the prince tore forwards.

 

Pidge stared in awe at the scene presented before her: a rocky wasteland, derelict and bare. Ripped apart by the sheer fury of the battling Galra. Father and son clashed, each determined to tear the other apart. Flashes of indigo and dust clouds erupted as the figures fought, blurs of black and purple darting across the ground. Lance's voice came over the comms.

“Should we help? I mean, the dude looks like he can hold his own, but I mean – Zarkon. He’s like, the final boss of a video game ya know?”

“Quiet Lance,” snapped Shiro. “Focus. Hold your position for now, keep destroying those ships, and intervene _only when I tell you.”_

Shiro had been... off, lately. His kind words and belief in democracy had been replaced with harsh orders and a claim to leadership. Maybe he was just stressed. Who wasn’t?

Pidge turned back to the battle, as Matt and her dad stared in similar astonishment at the carnage. They’d just have to wait and see.

 

Zarkon sent him flying into a barricade of rock, hitting the wall so hard it cracked. Agony ripped through his body. Lotor dropped to the ground, then crumpled to his knees - he couldn’t disguise the groan of pain that slipped past his lips. Through a haze of pain, he watched the sky as vibrant lions slashed through Zarkon's fleet. One by one, ravaged dreadnoughts decorated the atmosphere with blasts of scorching red. He turned to stare at his father.

“Your fleet is destroyed,” he rasped. _“It’s over.”_

Zarkon's weapon glowed brighter and brighter.

“It’s over for you,” came the cold reply.

Lotor closed his eyes.

Suddenly, a barrage of blasts struck the Earth around the emperor, forcing him back with a growl. The lions! Another wave of pain racked his body, and he doubled over. He was glad of the temporary relief, however fragile it was. Voltron had come to his aid after all; maybe they could finally trust each other. Lotor wondered why they had helped him – the team most certainly didn’t like him. He would ask them, when the battle was over. He looked up to see Zarkon aiming again.

_At the lions._

At his associates, allies, perhaps even his friends. If that weapon fired, they would be obliterated. The universe’s only hope, turned to ashes on the wind.

Adrenalin rushed through his veins. With a sudden burst of strength, Lotor screamed in fury.

_“No!”_

He sprinted forward, snatching up a glinting shard of wreckage from a fallen fighter. The edge was jagged – sharp enough to kill. Leaping forward, he howled in rage; letting every single ounce of resentment, bitterness, anger at his father resonate through his makeshift sword. Cold metal met armour. Then plunged straight through it.

Zarkon howled in pain. The weapon fired, a beam of indigo slicing through the air, missing the paladins by an inch. Lotor stared in apprehension as the light in his father's eyes flickered. Then it was extinguished for the last time, and an empty shell dropped to the ground. The evil that had dwelled within it was gone.

One step further on the path to peace.

 

The prince stood victorious over the body, wind rippling through his hair. The sunlight broke the clouds, spotlighting the figure on the ground. Lance groaned.

“Seriously, this guy is just naturally dramatic.”

As the ships drew in closer, he waved to them, wincing as he did. Dark fluid dripped from his armour, pooling at his feet.

“Is he... bleeding?” asked Hunk worriedly.

“I can’t be sure from this far up,” replied Shiro.

Lotor answered the question for them. He dropped his hand to clutch at his stomach hastily; more of the liquid dripped through his fingers. His face paled as he began to sway unsteadily. Then his eyes fluttered shut, and he collapsed next to his father.


	2. They Say Time's Supposed to Heal You (but I ain’t done much healing)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura was the first one down. She hopped out of the Blue Lion’s cockpit, and made her way cautiously towards the prone figures on the ground. One by one, the other paladins joined her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so what kinda ships do you guys like relating to this? Cus Shallura used to own my ass but the current Shiro (cloooooone) is a little hoe and ngl Lotura is pretty damn cute
> 
> Anyways
> 
> Prepare for feelings :):):):):)

The two Galra lay still on the rocky ground. No one spoke for a while. Then Lance's voice came hesitantly over the comm channel.

“Is he... dead?”

“No!” scolded Allura. “He’s not dead. I think.”

“Damn,” he muttered.

“Guys, shouldn’t we help him?” asked Hunk.

“I don’t know Hunk,  _should we?"_

“Eh, I don’t really care,” added Pidge.

Hunk was indignant. “Oh come on, he saved us! Twice! We could at least help him out.”

“I still don’t trust the guy.”

“Paladins!” broke in Shiro. “It is our duty, as sworn Defenders of the Universe, to help _anyone_ in need. Anyone. Not to mention, Lotor is currently in alliance with us, and I’m sure you can tell we owe him our lives. We _are_ helping him. Understood?”

“Sure. He’s not riding with me though,” grumbled Lance.

So the assembled ships descended upon the two bodies.

 

Allura was the first one down. She hopped out of the Blue Lion’s cockpit, and made her way cautiously towards the prone figures on the ground. One by one, the other paladins joined her. Only Matt stayed on the Galran ship with Samuel Holt. She was glad he and Pidge had finally found their father - many a night had Allura wandered the halls of the castle to hear quiet sobbing echoing from the Green Paladin's room. Upon further inspection, she had discovered Pidge slumped on her bed, clutching a photograph in shaking hands. Allura didn’t have to try hard to guess who was in that photo. She knew all too well the pain of losing a father. But all thought of family was wiped from her mind as she finally came to a stop next to the lifeless Galra.

Zarkon was dead. That much was clear. The emperor's corpse was slumped in a pool of quintessence, devoid of the life promised by the mysterious elixir. Flickering indigo lights covered his armour, as did a multitude of marks and scratches from the battle. A serrated gouge stretched across the chest plate, evidence of his son's fatal blow.

Lotor was alive – barely. The prince was laid on the ground where he had fallen, hand limp across his midriff. Deep gashes littered his body, bleeding stygian violet. His ivory hair was stained with crusted blood, and his eyes were closed. Only his rasping breaths told Allura that he still had a chance. She had never seen a Galra look more human in her life, and in that moment, all her mistrust and contempt for the man was pushed aside, replaced only with pity and a newfound respect for the prince that had betrayed his empire.

The paladins stared in numb silence, clearly thinking the same things. Lance gazed at the body with something that looked suspiciously like awe, while Hunk looked downright terrified for the dying man. Pidge nudged Allura and motioned towards Shiro, who was focused solely on Zarkon's remains. Seething hatred raged in the eyes of the Black Paladin; his prosthetic fist tightened, attempting to reign in his loathing for the emperor.

“Uh.. what do we do?” gulped Hunk.

Pidge shrugged. Shiro was still glaring at Zarkon.

“Shiro?” prompted Lance. “Team leader?”

Shiro blinked. “Oh, uh.. yeah. Lotor. Um...”

Even the famed Champion seemed at a loss for words. Allura sighed – she had to do everything nowadays. She opened a comm link with the drop ship the Holts were stationed in.

“Matt, Sam, get back to the ship with Hunk and Pidge – report to Coran and help prepare a pod. Shiro, Lance, help me get Lotor into the Blue Lion. We'll leave Zarkon to rot,” she finished, with slight satisfaction at the thought.

Lance grinned, glancing at Shiro. “You got it princess. I gotta say, I didn't really like Prince Lotion here, but beating up your evil dad is pretty gutsy.”

“Yeah,” agreed Pidge. “Guess we really can trust him. Weird.”

Hunk nodded. “I’m kinda glad, I don’t like not trusting people.”

The group stood in awkward silence for a while. The only sound was the whistling of the wind, and the occasional groan from Lotor, still sprawled on the ground.

“Uh, shouldn’t we go?” prompted Pidge.

Shiro blinked again. “Right.”

Lance and Shiro (the latter still hesitant) moved to pick up Lotor. The prince cried out in pain as they shifted him, but made no other move. Lance threw one of Lotor's arms around his shoulders, then the other around Shiro's. The paladins rose unsteadily and began to make their way to the Blue Lion.

“Guess they’ve got it,” remarked Hunk. Allura shrugged, then followed them to the gaping mouth of the lion.

Coran's voice filled their ears. “Matt and Sam are back and the pod is ready! Anytime you feel like dropping a half-dead Galran prince off?”

“Oops,” sniggered Pidge.

Hunk and Pidge turned and ran to their respective ships, and the Paladins of Voltron flew back towards the Castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyyy
> 
> Writing Allura is hard guys help
> 
> The Garrison trio is pretty easy though actually
> 
> Rip Lotor and his dignity
> 
> Leave a comment if you enjoyed! (Or if you didn’t!)


	3. Hello (can you hear me?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her sapphire eyes bored into Lotor's as they faced each other. Lance had to resist the urge to whisper ‘sexual tension over 9000’ to Shiro, especially since he wouldn’t understand the reference.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> The one thing I swore never to do when I started posting fanfiction was to leave a fic to die unfinished, as many other fics have ended the same way and left me frustrated.  
> Four months later, a lovely commenter reminded me that this fic existed, and I'm here to uphold the promise, however late: I'm going to finish this goddamn story.
> 
> Warning, I won't be treating Lotor with as much reverence as I held him in before, now that season 6 and 7 have happened. However, they might serve their purpose by dropping in a few hints at his true intentions throughout the fic >:)
> 
> TW for some serious gore at the end!  
> Enjoy!

Lance and Shiro deposited Lotor on a pull out bunk in the Blue Lion's cockpit, while Allura conferred with Coran via the comm. Lance glanced down at the prince, no longer attempting to disguise his worry. The poor guy looked half dead – he had gone completely still, and his shallow breathing was barely audible. His lilac skin was pale and dotted with wounds, sluggishly ooozing purple liquid. Lance turned to Allura, still in the pilot seat.

“Uh, Allura?” he called.

“Yes?” came the reply.

“What’s the creepy purple stuff coming out of him?”

“Oh, no need to worry Lance: that’s just blood.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?!”

“At least it’s not infection.”

_“That’s not the point!”_

But their conversation was stopped abruptly as Lotor jerked awake, eyes wide and panicked. He sat straight up, seeming not to register the pain it caused him, and stared at the Paladins in confusion. 

“Where...?” stuttered the prince. “How did I...” He gasped, and reached towards his belt for a sword long gone. _“Zarkon!”_

Allura held up a placating hand. “Lotor. Zarkon is not here; you defeated him. We are on the Blue Lion, and heading towards the castle.”

Her sapphire eyes bored into Lotor's as they faced each other. Lance had to resist the urge to whisper ‘sexual tension over 9000’ to Shiro, especially since he wouldn’t understand the reference. 

Speaking of Shiro, the Black Paladin seemed lost in thought. His face betrayed his thoughts, clearly anywhere other than the situation at hand. Lance waved his hand in front of Shiro's face, to no avail. He really _had_ been acting weird lately. Maybe he was just tired – Lance sure was.

More of the purple blood dripped to the floor. Lotor didn’t notice. 

“Hey, uh, Prince Loturd?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You gonna do something about the whole ‘stabbed like a bajillion times' thing?”

Lotor glanced towards his stomach and breathed in sharply, as if the pain had finally returned.

“Ah. Y-yes, this might need addressing.”

_“No, really?”_

Allura jutted in. “We prepared a pod to treat the more substantial injuries, but it might do to bandage some of the lighter wounds here.”

Lotor didn’t seem to like that idea. “Oh, no, I’ll be fine. In f-fact, you don’t even have to prepare a pod, I- I heal easily!” Sweat beaded on his brow. “You just t-treat your own injuries first!”

“What injuries?” asked Lance incredulously. This guy was either a) off his rocker or b) trying incredibly hard to get out of being treated. He had changed his mind about the injuries ‘needing addressing' awfully fast.

Lotor was still protesting, gradually becoming more and more distressed.

Motioning comfortingly, Allura moved towards him slowly. 

“Why don’t you sit down? I’m sure you could heal better resting,” she offered. 

This only agitated the prince further. 

“I c-cannot wait around licking my wounds while a war rages on! We m-must continue to fight!” 

He stepped forward, determined. That’s where it all went wrong.

His body clearly couldn’t handle any more movement, and the sudden jerk triggered an alarming reaction. Indigo fluid bubbled between Lotor's lips, and he proceeded to cough – a wet, raw sound filled with torment and clear regret. In assembled horror, the paladins watched as the prince choked, blood staining his pointed teeth and lips. The man hacked blood onto the cockpit’s bunk until grey was washed purple. And then, for the second time that day, the heir to the Galran empire ended up unconscious on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rip grape boi >:)  
> Jk he's still alive dw  
> This was a short ass chapter, but they'll probably get longer as I get back into my groove :D

**Author's Note:**

> Ooooooh cliffhanger
> 
> I love Lotor so much honestly and I hurt the things I love oops
> 
> Bit of a sorry start but I’ll pick up the pace
> 
> Drop a comment if you liked it! (Or if you didn’t!)
> 
> Later paladudes  
> Wheeeeeeeee


End file.
